


prologue, part one: he's a rescue

by ijustmightwing



Series: i'm coming home (tell the world) [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Early Days, First Meetings, Gen, Pre-Robin Jason Todd, Swearing, Young Jason Todd, Young Selina Kyle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ijustmightwing/pseuds/ijustmightwing
Summary: Jason Todd met Selina Kyle with blood in his teeth and a wrench in his hand.Before Batman, Jason Todd meets Catwoman and learns a skill or two.
Relationships: Selina Kyle & Jason Todd
Series: i'm coming home (tell the world) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073099
Comments: 6
Kudos: 118





	prologue, part one: he's a rescue

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of a series, but can be read on its own.
> 
> This exists because I have no self-control and haven't been able to shake the idea of how Selina and Jason grew up in the same part of Gotham.

**prologue, part one: he’s a rescue**

Jason Todd met Selina Kyle with blood in his teeth and a wrench in his hand. He came to flat on his back, staring up at a purpling twilight sky framed by tall, dark buildings. _It’s going to rain_ , he thought dazedly, before his body moved out of instinct. He rolled away from the loud snaps of a bullwhip, using a nearby wall to help push him to his feet. His jaw is sore, but as he straightened up his head didn’t swim as much as he feared. Fear was what got you dead.

Two hours ago things had been going so well. Mikey Thompson’s older sister got wind of a local chop shop that needed an excess of tires. She didn’t know what kind, but Jason knew tires equaled money. Maybe local gangs were building up on transport, or perhaps a racing event was coming to the Bowery this weekend--either way, it meant money in his pocket. He knew enough about cars he could guess what would fetch a good price, he just wasn’t sure exactly how to...remove them. Jason hadn’t wasted too much time worrying about it, he’d always been a fast learner. 

Originally the plan had been to loot some of the nearby parking lots, but the cars there barely made up for the work of sneaking past the attendants. Mikey had given up early, taking the jack with him, but Jason had been undaunted. He’d scuttled his way downtown to the Thursday night club scene where there were bound to be a few rich kids slumming it, pretty cars left unattended. 

Jason’s intuition had paid off, spotting a sleek Porsche tucked in a back alley. He’d managed to fashion enough bricks and debris to steady the car without a jack and with an insane amount of struggle had managed to get two wheels off before everything went to hell.

The hit took him by surprise, and honestly, that’s on him. Between the lack of food and exertion he could barely hear anything over the pounding of his own heart and labored breathing. The sudden kick to his side didn’t help and Jason couldn’t stop his sharp gasp as he landed on his side.“ _What the fuck is this_!” roared a voice above him. Jason scrambled, brandishing the wrench in his hand blindly as he tried to get his bearings. A man stood over him, a disheveled suit and receding hairline making him seem older than he probably was. His face was ruddy with alcohol, dark and angry in the lowlight of the alley. “You trying to steal my fucking car?”

“Yeah, I put your car on blocks to steal it, asshole, good guess,” Jason spat. He blocked another kick with the wrench and felt his arm go numb past his elbow with the force of it. _Shit_. He could run, he knew he could get away, but he didn’t want to give up on his prize. Those tires would fetch a good price, even two of them, and maybe if people saw how much he fought for them they’d trust him to do another job. 

“You’re going to regret saying that,” the man promised, squinting in anger as he seemed to notice the mess Jason had made of his car. He lurched forward, obviously grabbing for Jason who was still trying to get to his feet. 

“Lemme guess, you gonna teach me a lesson too?” Jason said tiredly, trying not to let the man get ahold of his hoodie. He couldn’t let himself get grappled--if that man got his hand in the hood and pulled, he could choke him easily. Jason felt the fear spike within him at the idea, and that’s when the second hand connected with his jaw, forcing him to the ground. Jason felt iron in his mouth, head spinning.

“Fucking mouth on you,” the man snarled, and Jason braced himself as the dark shadow loomed over him. Or maybe he passed out.

For the first time in his life, the hit didn’t come. A loud _crack_ sounded in the air and Jason flinched instinctively, but nothing happened. Nothing happened, leaving Jason with only the stormy sky and blood in his teeth.

Now, standing under his own power, Jason watched as Catwoman flicked her whip with an effortless grace, the tail of it snaking its way around his attacker’s throat. She was dressed in the same deep purple of the sky around him, long black boots up to her thighs. 

He’d seen her before, once, when his mom was still alive. He’d been sitting out on the fire escape, cigarette in hand, trying to escape the tension inside his parent’s apartment. He’d seen her flip onto the building across the street, a bag slung over one hip. She’d paused to catch her breath, head pivoting as if she was straining to hear something. 

A moment later she’d done a smooth back handspring as a small black object landed where she’d been standing seconds before. Jason, mesmerized, watched as she’d laughed and blown a kiss back in the direction she’d come before racing off along the rooftops. A dark shape followed her, cape fluttering in the wind. _Batman_. 

It had been one of the coolest nights of his life. The next morning he’d broken into the building and scrambled his way to the roof as soon as he could. He’d spent two hours up there, searching in vain for any left behind bat equipment. Willis had been furious at his absence and even though he ended up with bruises instead of a batarang it couldn’t diminish the swooping rush he felt in his stomach every time he remembered the sight of them on the rooftops, free and wild.

Catwoman wasn’t laughing right now. She seemed furious, yanking hard on the whip as she brought the drunk man to his knees in front of her. He was furiously pawing at the thick leather wrapped around his neck, wheezing as she tightened the chokehold.

“Now,” she began, and Jason shivered at the sound of her voice. It was low and honeyed, but there was a thread of menace in it that he recognized. Everyone in the Narrows had it. “Let’s start making some different choices, shall we? For example, you can try and beat up a ten year old again and I’ll take your teeth, or, and I really recommend this one, you give me the keys and I let you walk away.”

The man glared pure murder at her. “Fuck...you,” he managed to wheeze. Catwoman shrugged.

“Well, that’s too bad. I always did like the strong, decisive types,” she purred. Her wrist twitched again and, to Jason’s shock, the whip unfurled. The man gasped, rising on one knee. Before Jason could even register the fear he felt rising in him Catwoman’s elbow connected hard with the man’s nose once, twice, three times. Blood spurted, scenting the air and Jason’s own bitten tongue surged in sympathy. He spat on the ground, spit pink.

Catwoman pushed the man to his feet, walking him sharply backwards and shoving him against a wall. She slammed a sharp knee into the man’s groin, and Jason watched his face turn sallow under the blood. 

“Keys, please,” she said mildly, and the man hurried to dig into his pocket, hand trembling as he held up a silver keyfob. “Thank you,” Catwoman said, then ground her knee in again. The man gave a startled yelp and promptly passed out, sliding down with his back against the wall. She slipped the keyfob from his fingers as he fell, smooth as silk. She didn’t even look like she was breathing hard.

Jason certainly was. Now with the immediate threat out of the way his mind was trying to shift gears through the pain and panic. Catwoman had saved him. _Catwoman_ . He had no idea how to process that information. Would she want something in return? Jason didn’t have anything. Maybe she wanted the car for herself, the tires with it. Fuck, Jason _needed_ those. Was he in her territory? Oh double fuck.

“Hey, kiddo, I need you to breathe,” came a voice, cutting through the static in his head. Jason’s eyes snapped back into focus. Catwoman was standing before him, bent slightly at the waist as she looked him over. She’d pushed her goggles up over her...headpiece, he didn’t know what to call it, revealing a pair of the lightest green eyes he’d ever seen, framed with black lashes and tan skin. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she murmured, “But we are going to have to get out of here so I need you to pay attention, can you do that?”

Jason nodded. _Catwoman has green eyes_ , he thought hysterically. _I know that Catwoman has green eyes_.

Catwoman smiled. “Good. Now, do you know who that is?” She gestured to the man still slumped against the wall. His nose was still sluggishly dripping blood, but he was breathing. For some reason, seeing the reminder of an extinguished threat helped calm him. Jason swallowed and shook his head, looking back to her. Catwoman chuckled. “Well, that explains a few things. That’s Falcone’s nephew, Carl, and let me tell you he is not the forgiving type. You certainly picked the wrong car to boost.”

“Shit,” Jason whispered. Catwoman laughed, straightening and putting her hands on her hips.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’m the more memorable part of his evening. Now, come with me kiddo. If you’re going to boost cars you need to know a few things.”

Jason followed her dumbly as she turned and walked back to the car. Her whip was neatly coiled around her waist, the tail trailing slightly over her backside like a cat’s. He watched as she clicked the keyfob, surprised when the trunk slowly opened. He flicked his eyes back to the man on the ground, fear slicing through him. 

Catwoman didn’t kill, right? Jason didn’t know how to dispose of a body and he definitely didn’t know how to kill a person. Fuck, maybe the trunk was for him.

“I just wanted the tires,” he said, voice shaking. Jason tried to find his usual bravado and came up wanting. He gave in. “You can have them, you can have the car.” Catwoman stopped, turning to frown at him. Jason wracked his brain. “I think he had a pretty good watch but I don’t want to, you don’t need to...we’re not killing him, right?” he asked, desperate. _Or me_?

“Kid, I’m a thief not a maniac,” Catwoman said dryly, the slightest bit of amusement in her eyes. For some reason that reassured Jason more than when she used that honeyed tone. He could hear the edges of that Narrows accent again. He watched as she reached into the trunk and pulled out a cross-shaped piece of metal. “If you’re going to be stealing tires, you need the right equipment. Rich guys like this almost always have tools with them for their precious cars, but it’s smarter if you bring your own. Here,” she said, holding it out. “It’s called a tire iron. I’ll show you how it works later, but we have to leave. Now, where were you taking these tires? I doubt you have a car, let alone a license, short stack.”

“I’m not ten, you know,” Jason shot back, even as he took the tire iron from her, awkwardly shoving it in his waistband. The nicknames, the easy acquiescence of a weapon, even her amused smile were soothing the anxiety inside him. Besides, he told himself, he’d never heard of Catwoman hurting kids...of hurting anyone, really. 

Catwoman smirked. “Well, you look it.” 

She spotted the two tires Jason had piled near the front of the car and hefted one onto her shoulder. She gestured for him to take the other one and Jason did, wincing momentarily at the pull from his bruised chest. He realized then he hadn’t answered the question, and told her about the chop shop lead Mikey’s sister had given him. He didn’t anticipate her surprised scoff. 

“That place is shady as hell and, more importantly, is all the way across town, how on Earth were you planning on getting these back?” She asked. Honestly, Jason hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d thought he could hide them and maybe recruit Mikey later tomorrow to help move them. 

Catwoman took in the blank look on his face. “C’mon, kiddo. Tires this good go to Lou’s, who, lucky for you, is only a few blocks away from here. You’ll get a fair price if you’re with me.” 

_With me_ . Jason startled at that idea. He felt the excitement prickle in his belly, the same feeling he got seeing Catwoman on that rooftop for the first time. He trotted obediently after her as she began walking deeper into the alleyway, away from the clubs and bright lights. Normally every instinct would scream at him to stop, to get away, to _not_ follow this strange woman to an unknown location, but for some reason it wasn’t there. Instead he felt...okay. Not safe, never safe, but he could feel the promise of it. 

“I’m Jason,” he murmured after a few quiet minutes, leaning against a wall for support as Catwoman surveyed the streets around them. He wanted to give something back, suddenly, and he didn’t have much besides his own name. 

Catwoman glanced down at him, features softening, but she didn’t respond, only signalled for him to follow as they darted across the street. He helped her push a dumpster close to a nearby fence, watching her use it to boost herself easily over the top, tire and all. 

Jason wasn’t nearly as graceful, scuttling awkwardly with his ass in the air for a good thirty seconds before he managed to drop down. Selina helped him to stand, taking the other tire from him and lifting it to her shoulder. Jason breathed a little easier, one hand absently pressing to his hurting ribs.

“Come with me,” Catwoman said softly, using her head to gesture towards a small building inside the compound. Cars were scattered throughout the lot, some in pieces. “And it’s nice to meet you, Jason. And,” she ducked her head, meeting Jason’s eyes with a kind smile, “You can call me Selina.”

Jason blinked, struck. “Really?” he breathed, not caring how shrill he sounded for a moment. That hysterical feeling bubbled within him again.

Catwoman-- _Selina_ , winked, then turned on her heel. She had tires on each arm, hooked on her strong shoulders. It couldn’t be easy to carry them like that, it definitely made it impossible for her to fight. She was...doing this for him. She’d told him her _name_. Jason felt heat come across his cheeks at that, not knowing what to do with something like trust. He ran after her, raising his hands to take a tire, to help, the last bit of his suspicion fading away.

“Lou” turned out to be a small black woman in her early thirties named Shirley. Apparently, Lou was her father’s name and she’d inherited his garage when he’d passed. Shirley seemed apprehensive of dealing with another “starving white boy,” (her words), but Selina’s smooth voice and the determined set of Jason’s jaw had won her confidence for now. She took the tires, paid him nearly double what he’d been expecting from Mikey’s sister’s hookup, and gave Selina an honest-to-god hug before they left. 

“We knew each other when we were little,” Selina explained as they walked through the gates, forgoing the fence this time. She’d lifted a jacket on the way out, pulling it over the purple bodysuit. 

Jason watched, speechless, as she pulled the headpiece off of her uniform, revealing a wave of thick, black hair that cascaded past her shoulders. The goggles she plunked down on his head. “Hold onto those for me, will you?” she asked, shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair. She was younger than he thought she’d be, definitely younger than his mom. Jason was pretty sure he’d never seen a more beautiful person in his entire life. 

“Thank you,” he said awkwardly, unsure. With the ears gone and the whip hidden underneath the dark jacket she could’ve passed for anyone, just another girl from the Narrows with a sharp smile. Jason felt like he finally recognized her, even though that was impossible. The goggles felt heavy on his head.

“Don’t thank me yet, we still have work to do,” Selina said, stretching, arms above her head. “I don’t know about you but I want tacos.”

Jason frowned. “And tacos mean work?”

Selina laughed. “They do when you don’t want to pay for them. Y’know how to pickpocket yet, kiddo?”

There was lightning in Jason’s chest, in the sky. The storm was finally starting to roll in, a few drops of rain beginning to fall. He could hear them against the plastic of the goggles on top of his head. 

“I know of a good taco stand nearby,” Jason said. He pulled his hoodie a little tighter, straightening in his eagerness. He gave Selina his best smile, the one he knew was a little more cocky than charming. “What’s the first rule of pickpocketing?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Selina said, returning his smile with a wink. “You just have to remember your ABCs.” She paused, taking in his obvious confusion, and leaned in to whisper in a conspiratorial voice, low and lovely. “Always. Be. Cool.”

Jason laughed, forgetting his ribs for a moment, forgetting the rain and the rolling thunder. 

_Always be cool_. He could handle that.

///


End file.
